Tobacco hanger or stick



(No Model.)

"- W. H. PETREE.

TOBACCO HANGER OR STICK.

No. 428,522. Patented May 20, 1890.

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UNITED STATns PATENT Trice.

\VILLIAM HENRY PETREE, OF BETHANIA, NORTH CAROLINA.

TOBACCO HANGER OR STICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,522, dated 20, 1890. Application filed October 31, 1889. Serial No. 328,760. (No model.)

To aZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HENRY PE- TREE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bethania, in the county of Forsyth and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tobacco Hangers or Sticks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of devices used in the curing of tobacco, and commonly known as tobacco hangers or sticks, whereby the leaves after being separated from the stalk are suspended until they are cured.

Heretofore, and prior to my invention, several different forms of devices of this class have been used. In one instance separate wires having no positive connection with a support have been employed to sustain the leaves strung thereon, and these wires, when loaded, were placed upon supporting racks or frames, which were raised and lowered for the purpose. In another form a long wire was passed centrally through a wooden bar and its ends bent in opposite directions and sustained by eyes or hooks, the wire being so bent that it ran parallel with the bar at a little distance from it, running beside the opposite faces and ends of the bar alternately. I11 still athird instance, two wires were passed centrally through a supporting-bar and each wire was bent to bringits ends into parallelism upon opposite sides of the bar, said ends extending from the center of the latter toward its end, and being supported by hooks mounted on the bar. It will be seen that in both the latter forms the wires or stringers are not detachable from the base or support, nor can one of said wires be detached at its end and swing or be turned at an angle to the base without disturbing the wire upon the other side of the base or support. In the form of tobacco hanger or stick first mentioned the wires are detachable from the frame or rack, but are not associated with any positively connected support, and are not only liable to be mislaid and lost, but require a complicated and costly structure to support them when filled.

It is the purpose of my present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive construction and combination of parts whereby a central supporting bar, base, or strip of any suitable matetial may be provided with one or more attachable and detachable wires upon each side capable of being readily disconnected at one end to permit the leaves to be strung thereon, or, if preferred, detached entirely from the bar, base, or strip and carried to the field to be filled.

It is also one purpose of my invention to so construct a tobacco-stick that its equilibrium shall be preserved when filled, the wires be ing so arranged, also, as to enable the several grades of leaves to be suspended separately. It is my purpose, finally, to provide a tobacco-stick having one or more series of attachable and detachable wires capable of being locked when filled upon a suitable base or support and retained in engagement there with in all positions of the said support.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims following this specification.

To enable others skilled in the art to prac tice my invention I willnow describe the same in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of atobaccohanger or stick constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail section showing the manner of constructing the locking-hooks and pivotal connections and uniting them with the base or support. Fig. 4 is a view of a modified construction.

In the said drawings, the reference-numeral 1 denotes the base or support, consisting of a bar or strip of Wood or other suitable material having the proper length and being preferably of greater breadth than thickness. Through this bar are driven long Wire staples, the ends of the wire passing through and projecting from the other side, where they are bent in opposite directions or outwardly and turned over the edges of the bar, forming hooks 2, which lie against the narrow edges of the bar. The points of these hooks are bent closely up to the body portion and are suificiently elastic to permit their being sprung outwardly to admit the Wires and then resume their position. In a base or support of ordinary length I usually employ three of I these hooks upon each edge, one pair being placed at or near the center and a similar pair near eachend of the base or support. The number of these hooks may be varied, however, to suit the circumstances of the case.

The metallic wires or stringers consist of pieces of wire 3, each having an eye t at one end adapted to engage with and be disengaged from one of the hooks 2, its other end being pointed. These wires are of such length that when connected with one of the hooks its free end may rest in the adjacent hook upon the same side of the base or support, or, if preferred, it may be of such length that its end will liein the hook at the extreme end of the support, While its middle portion is sustained in the intermediate hook. WVhen the shorter wires are used, their eyes may be engaged with the middle hooks and their free ends rest in the end hooks, or the eyes may be connected to the latter and the ends extend to and lie in the hooks upon the ends of the base.

In use the tobacco-leaves are stripped from the stalk and are usually assorted into different grades, known as wrappers, fillers, lugs, and tips, and each of these grades may be placed upon a separate wire. The wires may be detached entirely from the base or support and filled, after which they are connected to the hooks by forcing the eye of the wire into one hook and the end into another, the elasticity of the points of the hooks permitting their removal and replacement but preventing their accidental disengagement by the weight of the filled wire in case the stick should turn over.

The wires 3 may be detached from the bar or stick and held by the eye, thus constituting a fine handrack for the reception of the leaves, as each leaf can be seen as it is removed and put to its proper grade.

The wires are supported at such distance from the stick that the latter may readily be grasped by the hand without interfering with the wires.

The sticks may be set up on the edge when full, (after the leaf is cured,) and jammed perfectly close, so that the air cannot pass between the leaves.

WVhat I claim is- 1. A tobacco hanger or stick consisting of a rigid bar having a series of hooks extending directly from two opposite sides thereof and two wire leaf-stringers extending, respectively, along said sides of the bar and provided at one of their ends with eyes which are loosely engaged with two oppositelyarranged hooks, their opposite ends resting in the other hooks on the same side of the stick, substantially as described.

2. Atobaeco hanger or stick consisting of a rigid bar, a series of wires passing transversely through the bar and having their project-- ing ends at each side provided with hooks the free ends of which are bent inward toward the hook-shanks to form the contracted entrances, and two wire leaf-stringers extending, respectively, along opposite sides of the bar, and each provided at one end with an eye, said eyes detachably engaging the hooked ends of one of the transverse wires, their opposite ends resting in the other hooks on the same side of the stick, substantially as described.

3. A tobacco hanger or stick consisting of a rigid bar having a series of wire staples extending therethrough and bent in opposite directions to form hooks, and two wire leafstringers arranged at opposite sides of the bar, having eyes at one end engaging two of the hooks and at their other end resting in the hooks adjacent to those engaged by the eyes, substantially as described.

4. A tobacco hanger or stick consisting of a rigid bar having neareach end and centrally between the ends an attached wire staple extending from opposite sides of the bar and bent at each extremity to form a hook, a pair of wire leaf-stringers having eyes at one end engaging the central staple at one side of the bar, and a similar pair of wire leaf-stringers having eyes at one end engaging the central staple atthe opposite side of the bar, their opposite ends resting in the other hooks on the same side of the stick, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signaturein presence of two witnesses, WILLIAM HENRY PETREE.

Vitnesses:

E. O. MILLER, A. L. TRANsoN. 

